Iris
by Miyopiyo
Summary: “Look, Akane,” Kasumi said. “It says here that a male’s testosterone level can gain a temporary boost with just the presence of a pretty member of the opposite sex.” Kasumi smiled sweetly at her baby sister. “Maybe you can help cheer Ranma up.”


**Summary: **"Look, Akane," Kasumi said. "It says here that a male's testosterone level can gain a temporary boost with just the presence of a pretty member of the opposite sex." Kasumi smiled sweetly at her baby sister. "Maybe you can help cheer Ranma up."  
**Notes:** Miyopiyo's birthday special! Yay! I'm finally sixteen years old (December 1st, 1993), so I decided to post a cute one-shot to celebrate with you all! Extra information on my other stories can be read below.  
**Warning:** OOC-ness. Beware.  
**Rating: **K+

oOo

It had never occurred to Akane Tendo that the world revolved around her. Never had a thought seeped into her mind that she should have _deserved_ something _just_ because she was who she was, and yet, today, exactly two years since the day her fiancée, Ranma Saotome, first stepped foot into her household, she felt that even she should merit some acknowledgement from the boy instead of a questioning glance.

Frowning, Akane paced up and down in the kitchen, waiting eagerly for her celebratory cake to finish baking in the oven. It has been two years exactly since she had met Ranma, and, despite the fact that he probably didn't remember, she felt the need to at least recognize the date as important. Strangely, yet not known to be uncommon, the entire house had immediately cleared out on the realization that she was baking. Kasumi and Nabiki went shopping, Soun Tendo, the head of the family, and Genma Saotome went out for a long day at the bar, and Ranma went to visit his mother just after breakfast. It was already three in the evening, and Akane assumed that he would be hungry when he got home.

Akane stared at the clock for several minutes, slightly worried. Ranma had been at his mother's house for quite sometime—had something happened? After all, Nodoka only learned of Ranma's curse several days ago and wanted time to process the unbelievable information. Had Ranma gone to her too soon? The loud beep of the oven brought Akane out of her reverie. Pulling on some oven mitts, Akane opened the door to the oven, flinching as the hot air brushed by her face, and quickly pulled out a chocolate cake, setting it carefully on the stovetop. Just as she pulled off the mitts, she heard the front door open.

"Ranma?" Akane said tentatively. She padded down the hall and found her two older sisters pulling off their shoes.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Nabiki said, smirking. After a quick glare from her younger sister, Nabiki trotted up the stairs and to her room, her arm laden down with multiple shopping bags.

"Oh my, you mean Ranma hasn't returned yet?" Kasumi said, her arms also weighed down with bags, though filled with produce. Akane helped her sister carry the burden to the kitchen and began to store the food in the fridge and pantry.

"Not yet," Akane answered. "And dad said that he and Uncle Saotome wouldn't be home until after dinner…"

"Have you been lonely, Akane?" Kasumi said softly, smiling. Akane flushed.

"No! But the house has never been so quiet before…"

"Well, I'm sure that Ranma will be back soon," Kasumi soothed. She set a bag of flour on the counter next to the cake and made a show of gasping. "Oh my! Akane, did you make this cake? It looks delicious!" Both women stared at the brown substance that was bubbling with yellow and green fizz. Kasumi patted her sister on the back and offered another congratulatory smile as Akane flushed again and thanked her.

"I don't know why it didn't turn out solid, though," Akane murmured, poking at the cake with a toothpick.

"Did you follow the directions?" Kasumi said, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, but is seemed pretty dull so I added some food coloring, vinegar, Worcester sauce, sesame seed oil, some white, powdery stuff I found in the pantry, a little bit of…" Akane was cut off when the front door opened again. Slightly exasperated, Kasumi rushed out of the kitchen to greet whoever came home when she saw Ranma.

"Ranma!" Kasumi gasped. "Akane told me you've been out for a long while. How was the visit to your mother?" Kasumi was rather surprised when Ranma not only refused to answer, but also walked passed her and up the stairs to his room without even a sign of acknowledgement. "Oh, my…" Kasumi slowly walked back into the kitchen, wondering what could have gone wrong.

"Who was that, Kasumi?" Akane asked as she put away a carton of eggs in the refrigerator.

"Ranma," Kasumi answered. She held up a quick hand of silence when Akane opened her mouth. "I think it might be better to let Ranma have some time to himself, Akane…"

Worry lines creased Akane's forehead. "Why?"

"He seemed very upset when I greeted him at the door. I'm afraid that the talk with his mother didn't turn out how he would've liked…"

Akane heaved a great sigh and stared at the floor, now extremely worried. Ranma had always been very touchy about what his mother thought of him. He had been absolutely mortified when she found out that he was able to turn into a girl.

"Let's just give him some time to think and put away the rest of these groceries. Then maybe we can watch some television and think about how to approach him…"

"Don't you want to try my cake?" Akane asked hopefully.

Kasumi hesitated, and then smiled sweetly. "We have to let it cool off first, remember? Maybe father and Uncle would like some when they come home from the bar."

Akane felt her shoulders drop in disappointment and did as her sister told. When they were finished, Kasumi warned up some hot tea and served it at the dining table, inviting Nabiki to join them when she came down. Nabiki and Akane surfed the channels on the television as Kasumi opened up a magazine and read through it quickly, her eyes scanning up and down the page in a quick blur. However, they paused on a section somewhere on the top of the page, slightly widened.

Without warning, the eldest Tendo daughter pressed the off button to the TV and gently shoved the magazine article towards her baby sister.

"Look, Akane," Kasumi said. "It says here that a male's testosterone level can gain a temporary boost with just the presence of a pretty member of the opposite sex." Kasumi smiled sweetly at her baby sister. "Maybe you can help cheer Ranma up."

Nabiki sniggered at Akane's bright blush and grabbed the magazine hastily. She pressed her nose into it, her eyes narrowed temporarily before they widened with disbelief.

"It's significant," Nabiki stated, handing the paper to her younger sister, who grabbed for it so quickly that she nearly tore it in half. "They even have sources."

"That can't be!" Akane denied. Then, she glared at both her sisters before slamming the magazine closed on the table. "And what _about_ it? Why would I want to cheer that pervert up?"

"Because he's going through difficult time right now, Akane," Kasumi said sternly. That was enough for Akane to deflate in shame. She had forgotten that Ranma just endured an entire day with a mother who probably didn't approve of his curse…

Sighing in defeat, Akane quickly gave in and stared apologetically at her sister. "So what do I do? Just talk to him?" She looked questioningly at Nabiki when she scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.

"You have to do more than just _talk_ to him, baby sis," she said. Nabiki stood and motioned for her sisters to follow her up the stairs to her room. Akane had a sudden bad feeling. "The article said that the testosterone level goes up when around a _pretty_ member of the opposite sex—"

Akane glared at her. "So I'm no _pretty_ enough to—"

"Don't get Naiki wrong, Akane," Kasumi cut in gently. "You're beautiful, but you want to try your best to help Ranma, don't you?"

Deflating again under her sisters gaze, Akane nodded and sat on Nabiki's bed as the two older siblings rummaged through the closet and pulled out random strips of clothing. They spent a while trying to find Akane something proper to wear.

"Too long," Nabiki said.

"Too short," Kasumi murmured. "How about this one?"

"Too old fashioned…And this?"

"That will hardly cover her chest! Why on earth do you have that, Nabiki?"

"Hey, this isn't about me…"

Nearly an hour later, both Kasumi and Nabiki finally agreed on a cute, lasagna strapped white sundress with a white, wide sash and a white headband with a yellow iris on it.

"That was mine!" Akane said angrily when she saw it. "I never even lent it to you, Nabiki, it was my favorite one! I was looking for it for ages!"

"And you finally found it," Nabiki said slyly. "Put it on."

After a quick undress and redress, Akane viewed herself in Nabiki's mirror and smiled. The dress still fit her perfectly.

"You look gorgeous, Akane!" Kasumi praised. Akane blushed and Nabiki gave a rare smile.

"Now," Nabiki said almost menacingly. "About the make up…"

Giggling as Akane paled, Kasumi decided that the girl had gone through enough torture for the day and said that make up wasn't needed.

"At least a little bit of lip gloss," Nabiki insisted. She pulled out a small tube and unscrewed the top, aiming it at Akane's lips and telling her to pucker up. Akane did so and immediately breathed the scent in, wondering what it was.

"Smells good," Akane commented.

"Cherries," Nabiki replied, screwing the cap back on. She looked back at the younger sister and scrutinized her carefully, then smirked. "You look great. Now go knock him dead!" she said, pushing her sister out of the room and down the hall to Ranma's room. Kasumi followed behind loyally.

"Wait!" Akane panicked. "What should I say?"

"It'll be better if you get straight to the point, Akane. Ranma was never the stalling type, so it'll be easier if you're blunt with him," Kasumi said, her voice lowering to a whisper as the door to Ranma's room came into view.

Without time for another protest, Kasumi pulled open the shoji door and Nabiki shoved her inside, the door closing immediately.

Stumbling slightly, Akane stood stock straight when she regained her balance, her eyes scanning the room for her fiancée. She received a shock when she found that she was alone in the room.

"What…?" Akane started. The door opened again and Kasumi and Nabiki poked their heads through the door.

"How come we don't here anything?" Nabiki asked, eyes narrowed.

"He's not even in here…" Akane said.

Kasumi clasped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my…I wonder if he went out again."

Sighing heavily, Akane pushed past her sisters and walked with them back down the hall. She came to a stop at her own bedroom door and pushed it open.

"You will talk to him later, won't you, Akane?" Kasumi asked. Akane nodded reassuringly.

"I want that dress back," Nabiki said jokingly. They both left back down the stairs. Akane sighed again and shut the door gently in front of her, not moving from her position for nearly a minute.

"Ranma, you dummy," she said softly. "Can't you see I just want to help…?" After another several minutes of staring through the door to the wall behind it, Akane finally turned around and faced her bed, nearly screaming in surprise when she found Ranma himself sprawled across the mattress, his head on her pillow.

Akane took several deep breaths to calm her suddenly racing heart and walked toward the bed cautiously. Upon closer look, Akane noticed that he was actually asleep on her bed. He was lying on his stomach and his arms crossed under her pillow, pushing his cheek up a bit and causing his mouth to fall open. Akane couldn't help but giggle at how cute and vulnerable her macho fiancée looked at that moment and sat down on her bed beside him.

She wondered for several minutes whether she should wake him or not, but decided that Kasumi was right in saying that it would be better to get this over with. Besides, she wanted to know what he was doing in her room without her permission anyway.

Rubbing his back to gently bring him out of his slumber, Akane called Ranma's name repeatedly until he groaned in protest and dug his head further into her pillow, inhaling deeply. Akane took a deep breath, trying not to get impatient, and started to call his name louder and louder until he finally shook himself out of his sleep.

"Ranma?" Akane asked, her hand pausing on his back.

"Don't stop…" she heard him grunt. Akane blushed and continued to rub his back soothingly.

"Its time to wake up…" Akane chided gently, slightly worried about his behavior. Ranma shook his head back into her pillow.

"Good dream…" he sighed. Akane blushed and pulled her hand away instantly. Seconds later, Ranma sat up on his elbows and stared at her through groggy eyes. "Why'd you stop?"

"You're not dreaming," Akane said, slightly irritated. Ranma's eyes snapped open. He stared at her for several seconds and the next thing Akane saw were her flying bedsheets as he tried to scramble away as quickly as possible.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know I'm not supposed to be in here but—"

"Ranma, its okay!" Akane cut off quickly, extremely startled at his reaction. Ranma stopped and stared at her through half squinted eyes, as if preparing for a strike.

"R—Really?" he asked, his eyes widening slowly. "You mean you're not mad for me being in your room?"

Akane gave him a thoughtful look. "Well, I _would_ like to know why you were sleeping in here," she said, ignoring the gulp that emitted from Ranma's throat. "But more important than that, Ranma, I'm worried about you. Kasumi said you were upset when you came home today…Is it because of the talk you had with your mother?"

Ranma's depression fell back upon him at the mention of his mother. Akane gulped nervously when she was able to pick out tiny traces of rage in his aura. They sat on her bed for a while, staring at each other. Then Ranma turned away.

"She didn't even want to see me."

Akane felt an unfamiliar stab in her heart. "_What?_"

Ranma didn't answer and refused to meet her eyes, his jaws locking tightly together to repress his emotions.

Akane clenched her fists, her face scrunching in anger. "She didn't even want to _see_ you?"

"I was knocking on her door for nearly an hour and she wouldn't even bother to answer to tell me to go away or anything…" Ranma said softly. His hand clenched tightly on her pillow. "I spent nearly the entire day at the park…"

"H—How did you know she was home?" Akane asked in a small voice.

"I could sense her aura through the windows…she's disgusted with me. She thinks I'm a freak—"

"Don't you _dare_ say that!" Akane protested strongly. She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her in the eye. Akane felt tears welling up at the expression on his face; it was pure rejection and disappointment; utter defeat. "You're _not_ a freak! You're _Ranma_!" Her hands traveled down his biceps and clenched his hand tightly, watching Ranma as his eyes widened the more he stared at her. "And if she really thinks that way of you then she'll regret it! What kind of mother is she if she can't accept her own son for who he is? She'll be missing out on what a great person you are, Ranma," Akane finished, her tears finally falling down her cheeks. Ranma stared at her in awe.

"Akane…"

At the sound of her name, Akane released his hand and cupped her face. "I—I'm sorry—I didn't mean to—" she cut herself off and tried to wipe her face clean of tears. However, before she could even start, Ranma's hand caught her wrist and pulled her into a tight hug. Stunned, Akane did nothing but sit between his legs, hardly breathing.

"Thank you," Ranma said in her ear. They stayed like that for several more minutes, enjoying the feel of the others body, then broke away. Ranma used that time to quickly examine what his fiancée was wearing. Her white dress ended only at her knees, but her arms were fully exposed to him. And that yellow flower in her hair brought out the silky pale of her face. And her lips…

Feeling his breath catch, Ranma averted his eyes and gulped, blushing as Akane stared at him questioningly.

"You look…nice," Ranma coughed. Akane looked down at her dress and blushed.

"Th—Thanks…"

There was a long awkward silence in which Akane fumbled with the hem of her dress and Ranma shuffled his fingers. Then Akane remembered something.

"Just what were you doing in my room, anyway?" she asked accusingly. Ranma sputtered away, choked, swallowed, and answered properly.

"I—uh—well, I didn't really want to—you know—go back to my room—in case Happosai or someone came in to mess with me—so—I came in here instead…?" he finished with a question.

Akane raised an eyebrow at him and he groaned.

"Your room smells nice…" he mumbled under his breath. He glared at her then, almost daring her to ask him again. Akane giggled and sighed, smiling at him.

"Thanks for being honest anyway," she said softly. Another long pause followed, but this one was in comfortable silence. The two merely sat on the bed, giving the other occasional glances and blushing when one was caught, both of them just enjoying the others presence. But the silence was broken quickly after Akane caught Ranma staring at her again. She blushed.

"Hey, Akane?" he asked, also blushing.

"Hmm?"

Ranma took a deep breath and released. He tried to meet her eyes, but whenever they locked, he felt his confidence disappear and resorted to fumbling with the pillow instead. "I know I'm a real jerk to you sometimes, but…well—just so you know, I'm happiest when you're around."

Akane thought that she had a heart attack right then and there. She placed a hand on her heart and stared at him despite the fact that he still wouldn't look her in the eyes. The fact that his face was as red as a tomato was proof enough that he was genuine. But before she could reply, Ranma stood quickly from the bed and turned to her, still avoiding her eyes.

"And, Akane?" he asked again. Akane looked up at him just as Ranma's head descended to her own. Closing his eyes, Ranma gently pressed his lips to hers and pulled away before she had time to react. Then, he kissed her forehead and whispered, "Happy Anniversary," and disappeared through the window.

Akane stared at her fluttering sheets, completely stunned at what just happened. Then, she pressed a finger to her lips, where she could still feel his warmth, and smiled.

* * *

Ahhh…how sweet is that? Well, here is my birthday special (don't worry I won't do that chapter-a-day thing like I did with _The Dark Side_)! Lol, speaking of which, I HAVE started on the last chapter, but I kinda forgot everything and need to reread it…and the rating will change (duh) but I'm just too lazy to do any tiny fix ups.

Anyway, I just wanted to note that Nodoka isn't the only OOC character here; I thought Akane was a bit dramatic as well, but I needed something that would cause a unusual reaction out of Ranma, soo…And I hope you guys realized that I tried to depict Akane as a pure being; you know, being in all white, I mainly wanted this to be Ranma's thoughts as he looked at her so that he will better understand, "This girl who hardly knew the love of a mother is sad because I screwed up my chance to make amends with my mother—sad because she knows that I'm also missing out."

But…Ah well, I hope you guys enjoyed this oneshot! And the last chapter to _The Dark Side_ will be posted soon, I swear!

For my birthday wish, please review and I'll get that chapter done faster as a result (teehee how will you know that I already have it done and just holding out so I can get more reviews…?)

Love ya!

~16 yr old Miyopiyo

*PS—I couldn't come up with a good title name thing, so if you have any better suggestions, then throw 'em at me!


End file.
